Unit 3: Shakespeare, Bronte, Dickens

Welcome to the Unit 3 webpage 2023/2024

Here you will find copies of our newsletters and information booklets. We also hope you enjoy looking at what the children have been learning about. 

Welcome to the Unit 3 page 2019/20

Here you will find copies of our newsletters, useful documents related to school and home learning and further news about the children's achievements.

Year 6 Crealy Day and Leaver's BBQ & Disco

What a memorable day for all of our Year 6 Leavers.  Great fun was had by all even if we did get a little wet on the rides!  A big thank you to FABs for funding this day and preparing such a great BBQ and also to our school kitchen for making such a fabulous cake!

A big thank you to PGL for making the Year 6 residential a memorable 3 days.  The children had a fantastic time getting themselves fully involved in all of the activities.  Each and every one of them put their all in to each challenge and should be very proud of themselves!

"It was fun! I loved the views from the giant swing." Mollie 

"The thrill of pulling the leaver on the giant swing was the best part!" Archie 

"My favourite part was the quad biking. It was my first time on a full size quad bike." Ted

"I loved the aeroball and giant swing because I like working in a team, scoring points and being on a trampoline." Mia 

Unit 3 Summer Term 2019 - Challenges

Unit 3 Spring Term 2019 - Water Worlds

Unit 3 Visit Morwellham Quay

Unit 3 had a thoroughly enjoyable visit to Morwellham Quay on Wednesday. The day was brought to life with the children dressed in their Victorian attire (many thanks for parents in organising costumes) and was a big hit with both adults and pupils from start to finish. The children enjoyed their trip on the ‘Mine Train’ and then at the ‘Dressing Floor’ where they broke rocks to see what treasures they could find. They found life to be quite different in the ‘Victorian School’ compared to their experiences of school now during their time in the classroom. Bread baking, and of course the sampling, was also very much enjoyed – can you believe that the average 6 person family consumed the equivalent of 31 loaves of bread a week? Huge thanks go to all at Morwellham Quay for making this such a memorable trip!

Unit 3 Victorian Day

As part of our Victorian topic, we would like to invite the children of Unit 3 to come dressed in costume for a day filled with fun and activities linked to this significant time in our history. Our Victorian day will be held on Wednesday 17th October and you are invited to join your child from 9am-10am to get a flavour of the day too.

Children may choose to come as a chimney sweep, an inventor of this time (eg Alexander Graham Bell, Isambard Kingdom Brunel), Queen Victoria or simply as a child from this era. We hope that coming in costume will bring the day alive and allow them to get in to role and experience activities as if they were living during this time.

We would also like them to come in their costume for our Unit trip to Morwellham Quay on Wednesday 10th October for similar reasons. Hopefully their costumes will then also be able to be used during this year’s production.

Additionally, if you have any artefacts/books/resources that you think would be of interest to us on our Victorian day, please send them in with your child.

Many thanks in advance,

The Unit 3 Team

Unit 3 Visit The Eden Project

Unit 3 had an extremely enjoyable and memorable visit to the Eden Project.

The children came away enthused and excited about what they had learnt and many said they would like to return!

The workshops that they participated in were engaging and the children came away having learnt a lot.

Jess, Heather and Amelia said they were 'fascinated to learn about the tribe in Papua New Guinea and their culture. We really enjoyed learning about how the biomes were constructed and how the tropical plants provide food, health and shelter. One fascinating fact that we found out is that there is a grub, which the Kombai use, to clean the wax from their ears!'

Ethan and Will said they 'loved the way the Tropical biome had lots of different birds inside' and commented on 'how peaceful the Mediterranean biome' was. They also very much enjoyed the wobbly bridge and the steam holes!

Many thanks to all at Eden!

Unit 3's Production of 'Will Father Christmas Get Shot Down?'

On Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th of December Unit 3 performed their production to three packed audiences. Their production, which was titled ‘Will Father Christmas Get Shot Down?’, was a WW2 themed musical set in a London street on Christmas Eve 1940. It followed two main families: the Cooks and the Goodhearts. After a vicious snowball fight, the families are set apart as enemies. However, like all good stories this one had a happy ending when during a German air-raid the two main characters (John Cook and Arthur Goodheart) happened to bump into Father Christmas who helped them sort out their differences. This story will make you laugh, cry and above all, feel ready for Christmas. A huge well done to all those who took part, you did amazingly.

By Orla

Blackpool A/B Team vs Bovey Tracey - Netball

On Thursday 9th, Blackpool A and B team travelled to Bovey Tracey to take part in their league fixtures. The A team started strong with a slight disadvantage of not being able to see the court lines particularly well which led to multiple penalties. However, we ploughed on through even with a few injuries along the way. The final score was 16-2 to Bovey Tracey in a well played contest.

In the B team fixture, Bovey Tracey pulled ahead during the beginning quarter and then Blackpool fought back and scored two goals in a row. However, Bovey continued to play very well and re-took the lead despite Blackpool's best efforts. The game ended 7-2 to Bovey Tracey although both teams can be proud of the effort they put in throughout the games.

By Flora and Rebecca

Blackpool A/B vs St.Michaels - Football

On Monday 6th November, the A team had a league fixture against St.Michaels. In the first half, Rory scored a good goal after an end to end start which also saw Harry hit the bar. At the end of the first half, the score was 1-0. The second half saw the scores evened up after St.Michaels scored a brilliant goal which just crept in over the keeper's head. The final score was 1-1 but could have very easily been 6-6 if it wasn't for some fantastic goalkeeping!

The B team also had a very entertaining match with plenty of opportunities for both sides. George had a great shot saved by the goalkeeper which was the closest we came in the first half. In the second half, Jaden had a shot which flew over the bar and there were opportunities for both Luke and Sam. Unfortunately, the opposition broke away to score an excellent goal after some great goalkeeping by Archie which really deserved a clean sheet. It was a fantastic game overall played in great spirits by both teams. Well done all!

By Rory and Sam

A Team Netball Tournament at Stover

On the 19th October, 2017, the Netball A-team went to Stover for our first tournament of the year. We played 4 matches and won them all. We played against Bradley Barton, Exminster, Mortonhampstead  and Ilsington. Overall, we scored a whopping 17 goals. Now we move on to the next round of tournaments hoping to continue our good play and team spirit. A huge thanks you to Miss Crichard and Mrs Boyden for taking us and giving us the chance to play.

By Flora and Rebecca

World War 2 Day 2017

The children in Unit 3 stepped back in time to enjoy a fun packed day of activities linked to our topic of World War 2.  They all made a fantastic effort with their costumes and fully immersed themselves in the day.  Activities included making their own model of a Dunkirk Rescue ship, making an elastic band toy gun, sketching artefacts, playing war-time games and listening attentively to our special guests who shared their memories and experiences of the war.  We would like to pay special thanks to them and also to parents for the help with costumes as well as getting involved in the activities!

Football vs Ipplepen Primary School A&B Team Fixtures

The A team played a match against Ipplepen. The first half went well and at half time it was 0-0. In the second half Ipplepen scored a brilliant goal. The match finished 2-0 to Ipplepen.

The B team played against Ipplepen. In the first half we scored an amazing goal against the keeper. In the second half we scored again, but on the final whistle the score was 3-2 to Ipplepen.

Well done to both Teams.

By Rory and Sam

Tag Rugby – Wednesday 4th October

Unit 3 took a team each to a Tag Rugby Tournament at Newton Abbot Rugby Club. This was the first time playing competitive rugby for some of the children yet they showed great effort and perseverance to complete in every game. The Unit 3 team improved every game they played in and came 4th in their group. A massive well done to all the children in both teams and we hope that this is the start of good things from Blackpool Tag Rugby team.

Easter Assembly

Well done to Unit 3, who performed their Easter assembly for parents and visitors. Thank you for your attendance, and supporting your children by providing costumes and helping in learning songs and scripts.

Girls Football Matches v Bovey Tracey and Bradley Barton

On Friday 10th March, Blackpool School put forward a newly re-formed girls team from the Unit 3 cohort. The team have trained exceptionally hard during our after-school practice and we have made great progress with our skills which we showed during the games we played. Our first match was against Bradley Barton and after a long hard first game, the score was 0-0. After this, we were even more eager to play our second game. This was against Bovey Tracey and out of the blue, Izzy scored her first goal just before half-time. After half time, there was another amazing two goals by Chloe and Tesni. This left us with a 3-0 win! All of the team played exceptionally well and we all played with beaming smiles on our faces.

By Izzy and Zoe.

Well done girls - you played brilliantly and with an excellent team spirit. Look out for more fixtures after the Easter break! 

Blackpool do the Double!

Over the last few weeks, the Unit 3 A Team have found all of their hard work has been paying off with their places booked in the finals of both the Doel Cup and the Frank Burley 7-a-side Trophy. It has been an incredible season for this group of players, where many have developed not only as footballers but as sportsmen, conducting themselves in the highest regard both on and off the pitch.

On Monday 13th March, the team took part in the Doel Cup - the inter-school 5-a-side competition. Following their successful league campaign, finishing 2nd only to an unbeaten Rydon School, the children were desperate to evidence their hard work and commitment. Whilst the first two games were drawn 0-0, we went on to secure the next two games with 1-0 wins with great goals from both Jack and Tom. We were drawn against Rydon in the semi-finals and after an end to end game, the scoreline managed to remain 0-0 after extra-time. This led to penalties. Luckily for us, we scored all 3 of our penalties and an unfortunate strike from Rydon that hit the post meant that we were through to the final to face St.Michaels.

In a last minutes of a closely fought final, Jake managed to squeeze in a header from a throw-in which led to the boys taking the lead. The final whistle went and Blackpool were crowned 2017 winners of the Doel Cup!

Two weeks later, the boys were drawn against Bovey Tracey in the newest inter-schools competition - The Frank Burley Trophy. Travelling to Bradley Barton, the team were focussed and keen to add to their success. The game was fantastic. It was end to end with both teams scoring in the second half leaving the game in the balance at 1-1. This was until Jake picked the ball up around the half-way mark and dribbled past 3 defenders and then slotting the ball in the bottom corner. A fantastic piece of skill worthy of winning any game of football. In the end, we got over the line 2-1 following a match-defining, fingertip save from Ben to keep us one up. At the full time whistle, the boys jumped straight in to congratulate Bovey Tracey on a fantastic game, before celebrating after the cup was handed to Tom. It was certainly an incredible game of football which I'm sure the boys will remember for the rest of their lives. Congratulations to you all.

It has been a privilege to work with you all and long may you continue to develop into the fantastic, all-rounded sportsmen you have become.

Mr. Peters

Netball Match - Blackpool A vs Kingskerswell

After the morning of competition at Stover, we had another fixture after school at Kingskerswell.

We went into the first quarter feeling confident. They were a strong team and they scored two amazing goals. At the end of that quarter, we were two down but we still held our heads high.

In the second quarter, we scored an amazing goal in the first minute, followed by another by Rebecca. We then got another one, taking the lead at half-time. We went into the third quarter, confident we could win it but we felt the other team had improved their game, scoring the first goal but then Abbie and Katie put us back in the lead with another 2 goals.

The final quarter was definitely the most tricky part of the game as we were all very tired. However, everyone carried on giving their best and we managed to score a few more goals thanks to Anya and Jack, giving us the overall win of 7-3.

Everyone again showed great sportsmanship and all played to the best of their abilities. Thanks to Miss Bennett and Mrs Earley for taking up and supporting us throughout the game.

Netball Competition @ Stover School

On the 22nd February, the A and B year 5/6 netball teams went to a competition at Stover School. We all went in with confidence and applied this into our games with all of the skills that we have been practising at club.

The A team started off with a great game against Exminster with a pleasing score of 6-1 to us. We were really pleased with the result and went on to play another 5 games, winning 4 of these, losing to a very good Islington side. We came 2nd in the group and ended up in the Bronze medal match, which we unfortunately lost out on to Bovey Tracey who played really well.  The players gave it there all throughout the games and couldn't have asked any more of eachother in terms of effort! Well done A Team.

The B team unfortunately lost their first game against Bovey Tracey but grew with confidence as the competition went on. We worked hard throughout each match, improving each time and scoring several points as a result. Great effort B Team.

Overall, it was a fun morning and we should all be proud of the effort and sportsmanship we showed throughout all of our fixtures.

By Olivia and Milly.

UNIT 3 Holy Trinity Day

Unit 3 have spent time exploring the Holy Trinity. We invited Reverend David to answer question that we had, to help us gain a better understanding of the Trinity. We created a collaborative piece of artwork, where we chose symbols to show what the Trinity means to us. We enjoyed thinking about the best ways to show the message. 

Football Cup Semi Final Fixture - Blackpool A vs Ipplepen A 

On the 25th January, Blackpool A team played a cup semi-final fixture against Ipplepen Primary School. We entered the pitch with a positive attitude. Our captain won the toss so we had kick off and later got a goal by Jake (a lovely finish on the spin from a throw-in). We were winnig 1-0. We kept out lead until their number 9 made an excellent run, dodging through all of our players and slotting the ball home. A great goal! The whistle went for half-time. 1-1.

They opened the hald and we began to close them down straight away. We won the ball and were on the counter attack. Unfortunately, we were not rewarded until our captain scored a goal right in the top left corner. We were winning!

We kept possession and were rewarded with another counter attack by Harry. The ball was crossed in for Harry to shoot, and a slight deflection off of a defender led us to a two-goal lead. Suddenly, the whistle went for full time.

We shook hands and both teams gave eachother 3 cheers. It was a game played in great spirit by both sides and Caspar went on to pick up our Man of the Match for his superb defending.

Well played boys and onto the Final!

Golf Enrichment

Over the last six weeks, a group of children from Unit 3 have travelled to Bovey Tracey Golf Club in order to undertake a golfing enrichment. We learnt a great deal in a short amount of time, ranging from how to hold the golf club effectively to practising our chipping and putting. All of the activities we were given were really fun and it was a fantastic experience. Towards the end of the course, we were allowed to practise our driving on the driving range and put all of these skills together on the pitch and putt in a small competition.

Overall, I would say that everyone was happy with how they managed to strike the ball further and improved on their accuracy when playing shorter shots. Will picked up the award for the most determined, showing great attributes of a golfer throughout and Rhys picked up the most improved award. Well done to all that took part and thank you to Bovey Tracey Golf Centre for hosting us.

by Archie

Football Fixture - Blackpool A @ The Doel Cup - 27th November, 2016

On Monday 27th November, Blackpool competed in the Doel Cup. We played four matches and first of all we were playing against Rydon Primary School. It was a pretty balanced match but Jake gave us the lead. They after they kicked off, we won the ball back and Tom finished the scoring to complete the game 2-0.

Our next match was against Ipplepen. They were good, but Jake gave us a 2-0 lead scoring two excellent goals. We tried to score a few more but Ipplepen defended really well and the game finished 2-0. The following match was against Marldon. We had kick off and scored quite quickly. After that, Adam and Tom scored to make it 3-0. Then we were given a corner and Tom placed a nice cross in which evaded everyone and found its way into the net.

Our final match was against St. Catherines. Both teams worked hard until the final whistle and the game resulted in a 6-0 win for us, Harry and Jack scoring their first goals.

Overall, we were really pleased with how we played and look forward to the next round of the competition in the new year. Congratulations to all teams that took part.

Blackpool Presents 'Ebenezer'

Well done to all of the children in Unit 3 who performed in the fantastic production of this year's show 'Ebenezer', which was performed to three evening audiences last week. What a great show, that celebrated the talents of the children's singing, dancing, acting, art work and technical skills behind the scenes.

South Dartmoor Schools Partnership - Indoor Cricket Competition

On the 16th November, Blackpool Cricket Team played at an indoor competition in Torbay. There were five teams that entered. Our first match was against Rydon Primary and we entered the pitch hoping we could get off to a good start. We opened the batting with a strong score of 61 which we felt was a good score. We bowled well with only a few wides and we took 3 wickets thanks to Leo, Ollie and Jack. It was a good game which we just managed to sneak the win by 11 runs.

We went into the second game with smiles upon our faces and managed another victory with us all improving. We managed to continue our winning run for the remainder of the games and went unbeaten throughout the whole day. As a result, we were awarded with a trophy for winning the competition overall. The team showed great team spirit throughout the day and are now looking forward to the outdoor season in the summer!

By Ollie and Jack

Football Cup Fixture vs Bradley Barton

In a greatly anticipated re-match between two very even teams, Blackpool and Bradley Barton played again however this time with a place in the next round of the Knockout Cup.

When the match started, they had the early possession and got an early goal. However, straight after kick off, we went on the attack and a great strike from Jake got us back in the game. Unfortunately, they scored again very quickly with a great finish into the top left hand corner of the goal.

Later on in the half, we were handed a corner and it rebounded to Tom who took a shot which rolled into the bottom corner! 2-2! The rest of the half was very intense although no further goals were added.

The whistle blew for the second half. We had a good chance early on but unfortunately it went over the bar. Soon after, Bradley Barton went on the attack and took the lead with another excellent finish. 3-2. We were behind, but we battled back and a deflected shot from Jake ended up in the back of the net. The game became end to end and as the full time whistle approached it could have gone either way. However, the game finished 3-3 and went to extra time.

Extra time made no difference to the scoreline despite chances for both teams. The whistle went and it was down to penalties.

As the light faded, the players took their penalties and after some excellent goalkeeping from both sides, it came down to the last penalty, which we scored. We were through!

It was a great game played in excellent spirit from both sides and it was a shame someone had to leave the competition.

Thanks for listening.

Tom and Jake 

Unit 3 Visit to South Dartmoor Community College - Annie Production

Unit 3 enjoyed spending the day at South Dartmoor Community College, where they took part in a range of drama, music and dance workshops, focusing on improving their performance skills. They were then lucky enough to be the first audience for the College's performance of their musical, Annie.

Artefact Enquiry with Thomas Willmington and Mr Willmington

The children in Unit 3 were very lucky to have the first-hand experience of using an original Victorian sewing machine, belonging to Thomas Willmington and his family. The children thoroughly enjoyed finding out about the history of the machine and it's makers and designers. They even had an opportunity to try stitching using the machine. Thank you to Thomas and Mr Willmington, for sharing their knowledge with the children.

Football Fixture vs Bovey Tracey

On the 8th November, Blackpool football team played a fixture against Bovey Tracey. We brought two teams, A and B. Both teams entered the pitch with determination and left the pitch with their heads held high.

The B Team played first and kept the score to 0-0 at halftime, sharing the possession. Unfortunately, in the second half, they went a goal down and eventually lost a close game 1-0. They still played extremely well and should be proud of the effort they put in.

When they'd finished, the A team entered the pitch. We had an early chance but it was hit wide. We made the breakthrough with a goal from Tom that gave us the lead and the whistle blew for half-time. The second half was became very close and both teams had good chances with a string of excellent saves from both goalkeepers. However, we managed to extend our lead through a well taken goal by Harry and added a further third goal with a super finish from Jack. The team were delighted to get the win.

Well done to all the teams that played, showing excellent team spirit and enjoying themselves as they gave their best.

By Tom.

Unit 3 Living History Victorian Day

A fantastic day was had by all during our Victorian Day in Unit 3. The students enjoyed coming to school dressed as Victorians, and experienced a taste of life as a school child during this era. The day began with a cross stitch lesson, making a Victorian sampler, and parents were invited to work alongside their children. Thank you to all those parents who were able to attend and help with threading many needles. The children then learnt about the history of the camera obscura, and designed and tested their very own pinhole cameras. We were all amazed by the results. The day ended with a carousel of activities that ranged from slate writing and reciting poems and times tables in a traditional classroom setting, playing a range of parlour games, and learning playground games of the era.

Football League Fixture - vs Bradley Barton

On Thursday 20th October, Blackpool School A and B teams played Bradley Barton at home. The first game was an A team fixture. Both teams played well in the first half with Bradley Barton having most of the possession, but Blackpool stayed strong at the back and the first half ended goalless. The second half was exciting! Bradley Barton scored first with a superb shot that was unstoppable. A few minutes later, a through ball from Ben found Ollie who has a shot that was saved only for Jake to tap it in to equalise. With little time left, Ben played an amazing through ball to Jake who passed to Harry to slot the ball home into the bottom corner. Both teams played extremely well and the result finished 2-1 to Blackpool!

The B team also played extremely well but unfortunately lost against the Bradley Barton B team. After going 2-0 down in the first half, the B team rallied together to get a goal back - a superb header by Ethan from a corner. It was a close finish with Blackpool nearly equalising but Bradley Barton defended well to hold onto the victory. Every single player showed great sportsmanship and kept their chins up even though they lost a narrow encounter.

Overall, a successful first set of fixtures and the teams now look forward to their next set of games.

By Jake, Seb, Ethan and Ben

Year 6 Tag Rugby Festival - Thursday 13th October

Congratulations to all the year 6 children who took part in the Rugby Festival at South Dartmoor Community College. It was great experience for the children to develop their rugby skills in teams that were mixed with a range of other local schools. It was clear that the children thoroughly enjoyed this experience and are now looking forward to furthering their skills in both class PE lessons and future competitive events.

Unit 3 Visit Morewellham Quay

The children in Unit 3 enjoyed a fantastic day at Morewellham Quay. They tried on Victorian style clothes and learnt lots about the fashion of the era. There was a train ride down a real copper mine, where the children could experience first hand, what working in a mining environment must have felt like. They also travelled back in time to a Victorian classroom, where they took part in a handwriting lesson using slates. With the help of some very brave volunteers, the teacher explained (although did not actually carry out), some of the punishments that children would have received in a Victorian class! We were all glad to be at school in the present day!

Unit 3 Welcome Meeting for Parents

Thank you to everyone who attended our Unit 3 parent welcome meeting, please find attached the minutes to this meeting including parent questions that were asked. A copy of the meeting minutes will also be placed in the unit corridor on our notice board, if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to contact your child's class teacher or unit leader.

Autumn Term 2016 - The Victorians

News Letter and Topic Overview

Year 6 Visit London 2016!

Unit 3 visit the 'Eden Project'

Unit 3 visited the Eden Project to further their learning related to this term's environmental topic, ‘Keen to be Green.’ The children visited the 'Core' science building grappling with a number of interactive activity stations as well as the spectacular 'Mediterranean' and 'Rainforest' Biomes which contained a wide array of fascinating plant species and cultural artwork.  A great day was had by all pupils who additionally gained an important insight into how we can better protect and preserve our global environment.  

Year 6 Body Language 2016

Once again year 6 pupils had the fantastic opportunity to take part in the annual South Dartmoor Community College Body Language dance performance, which involved 244 pupils from 8 different schools. Schools took part in a number of different musical and art workshops throughout the day and then performed in front of a packed audience within the main theatre hall at South Dartmoor.

Blackpool pupils had worked extremely hard over the Spring term to develop their final show piece which was a wonderful dance medley depicting the famous journey made to Neverland by the different characters from the ‘Peter Pan’ story. The children further supported their dance piece with a fantastic shadow puppet theatre being placed on display during the Body Language festival.

Year 6 Netball Festival

Well done to all those Year 6 children who took part in the South Dartmoor Netball Festival.  They all played with skill and accuracy and most importantly with a great sporting attitude!

Unit Three World War II Enrichment day

Pupils from Unit 3 participated in a learning enrichment day aimed at deepening their understanding of what it would have been like to have lived in Britain during World War II.

Throughout the day there the children took part in a range of ‘real life’ learning activities such as handling authentic artefacts from this historical era, communicating important military messages using Morse code as well as assuming the role of Air Raid Wardens during the infamous Blitz attacks on major British cities.

 As part of this day, parents from Unit 3 were also invited to attend the morning session whereby they too had the opportunity share in the exciting learning journey that our pupils embarked upon.

Super Buddies

Our year five pupils have joined together with pupils in Reception to form ‘Super Buddy’ pairings who collaborate in a range of exciting weekly activities.

Each ‘Super Buddy’ pairing will use such values as teamwork and creativity whilst they develop a lasting relationship of respect, trust and belief in each other as members of Blackpool C of E Primary School.

Bikeability 2015

Year 5 pupils recently took part in the annual bikeability week, improving their cycling skills and understanding of road safety. Pupils completed their Levels 1, 2 and 3 cycling proficiency courses which involved them practicing the basics of balance and control, all the way through to planning and making a journey on busier roads around the local area accompanied by instructors.

Congratulations to all the pupils for undertaking their course successfully and a big thank you to Mr Hodder and his fellow instructors for their delivery of this fantastic learning experience.

Unit three Parliament morning

Year 5/6 pupils across unit three took part in a series of exciting workshops led by a visiting Parliamentary Education officer. The aim of the workshops was to educate pupils about the role of government and how the general election works as a democratic voting system across the country. Pupils learnt about the significance of both the House of Commons and House of Lords in relation to how new laws are formed to govern our society.

As part of the morning session pupils created their own version of the House of Commons with a nominated speaker, mock government and opposition contesting in a heated debate about a proposed bill relating the value of homework for primary school pupils. Pupils were then tasked with holding a vote in order to decide whether the bill should be passed. The bill was not passed with the majority of pupils electing that homework should remain in place for Primary school children!

Afterwards pupils were tasked forming their own political parties including a party name and logo. As part of their task they had to set forth a central idea of how they would improve the school and propose this idea to the other groups. Interesting ideas from building a new wave machine pool for free surfing lessons to daily nature trail excursions were among the suggestions.  There was then a whole unit vote for the most popular initiative enabling pupils to understand the democratic process of how an actual government is formed in the fortcoming general election. The winning party which recieved the largest majority of pupil votes was the ‘Liberal Demorats’ aptly named as they campaigned for each class to have their own class pet!

A fantastic learning experience was enjoyed by all the pupils with each child really entering into the spirit of the morning, each offering their own opinions and viewpoints during the collective debates.  It was clear throughout the sessions that our pupils had really deepened their understanding of how the general election works and the role that parliament plays in running the country.

Unit 3 Easter assembly 2015 ' Good News'

Unit 3 performed their Easter assembly 'Good News' to an audience of parents and carers in the school hall on Thursday 26th March. The assembly told the traditional Easter story from the setting of a modern day newsroom with news correspondents and journalists reporting live on the key events that occurred during that fateful week.

Year 5 pupils performed superbly well in their cast roles, capturing the thoughts and emotions of the characters caught up in the story. They were supported brilliantly by the prop crew, sound technicians as well as the fantastic year 6 chorus who provided the backing for a number of exceptional singing performances including, 'The Donkey's Tale', 'Who baked the bread?' and 'Mary's song' to name just a few.

The assembly ended with a thoughtful reading from Mr Al Blackwell who praised the pupils for their performance, wishing everyone a happy Easter break. Parents were then treated to refreshments kindly provided by Mrs Stafford.

Below are few photos captured during the assembly. A huge well done to the whole unit again for their fantastic performance. 

South West Water visit Unit 3!

South West Water representatives visited Unit 3 this week to hold a number of workshops aimed at deepening the pupils understanding of how water gathered in our surrounding reservoirs undergoes a range of processes in order for it to be made clean enough for us to drink. 

The particular process SWW focussed on within our workshops was filtration. Pupils were tasked with deriving their own clean water from a sample of muddy water which they were each given. With a range of different materials such as varied sized stones, sand, cotton wool and paper, the pupils carried out this challenge, learning about how the mud is removed from water using the different stages of 'Coarse' and 'Fine filtration.' Lastly the pupils explored how another process was required as even though the water appeared clean they realised that there was still harmful bacteria within each of their samples which would need to be removed before it could be classified as safe to drink. 

A huge thank you from all the pupils of Unit 3 to the South West Water team for providing us with such a fantastic practical learning experience!   

Unit 3 Visit to National Marine Aquarium Plymouth

Unit 3 embarked upon a visit to the National Marine Aquarium this week as part of their current learning topic, 'Water world.' Pupils were greeted by staff from the aquarium who took them on an interactive tour of discovery around the aquarium with pupils learning about the different aquatic species found across worldwide oceans. Definite highlights were walking through an air lock chamber with sharks and tropical fish circling way above, seeing Octavia the octopus as well as the giant turtle held at the aquarium. All groups participated in a 'Plastic Soup' workshop which educated the pupils about the environmental concerns of pollution found across the world's oceans. Specifically the children learnt about how plastics are swept up across slow moving currents called 'Gyres.' In a very 'hands on' activity the children were able to pick through samples of plastic that had typically been found within the stomach content of varied sea life forms which emphasised the importance of recycling and reusing plastic forms as opposed to disposing of rubbish in a thoughtless manner.

Fire Safety Workshop

Year 5 pupils took part in a fire safety workshop which involved the children learning about the key principles of fire safety and prevention around the home, school and wider community. The pupils had opportunities to discuss how to react in different set scenarios identifying potential hazards as well as one lucky volunteer modelling the professional fire fighter uniform.

Unit 3 Production 'Olivia'

Unit 3 delivered a spectacular performance of their production, ‘Olivia’ on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th December 2014. The play followed the journey of the central character, ‘Olivia’ through the perils of Victorian London. After escaping the harsh rule of the fearsome Mrs Murdstone at the orphanage, Olivia and her new best friend Eliza Doolittle experience a series of adventures within the city of London meeting characters such as Fagin, Dodger, Sherlock Holmes, George Bernard Shaw and many more!

The whole unit provided a spectacular show  for their audience with fantastic singing, dancing and acting throughout. There were so many highlights; including the dancing flower girls, courtroom acquittal of Dodger as well as the operatic performance of the ‘Fat Lady’ to name just a few!

Victorian cookery in Bronte Class!

On Wednesday 26th November Bronte class held a Victorian bake sale in the small hall in aid of Barnardo’s Charity. As a class Bronte came up with ideas of how we could incorporate our Victorian topic with other areas of the curriculum and decided collectively that they would like to explore Victorian cookery and also raise money for charity.

On Tuesday 25th November Bronte made traditional Victorian recipes such as cherry scones and cheese straws. As a class we promoted our cake sale to Unit Three using different persuasive features in literacy and used our mathematics knowledge of Victorian ‘weights and measures’ to aid us in our cookery sessions. Cake donations from home were greatly received which added to a very successful cake sale. The total raised across unit three was £48.50 which will be donated to a local Barnardos charity.

Congratulations to all the children for their fantatsic approach to this cross curricular initiative.

Miss Nurcombe

Unit 3 Victorian Open morning

Unit Three held their own Victorian Open Morning as parents were invited to join pupils and participate in a range of activities linked to the Victorian topic they have been exploring this term. As part of the day both pupils and parents created their very own colourful cross stitch patterns and peg toy dolls during Victorian craft workshops led by their teachers. In addition, parents and pupils argued their opinions about child labour and the conditions of the Victorian Mills during whole class debate sessions that ran as part of the day. To add additional authenticity to the day all pupils attended school in typical Victorian dress with some  imaginative outfits on display.

An engaging and enjoyable day was had by all with some fantastic snapshots of pupils and parents collaborating together across the range of activities held. We would like to thank all the parents who attended the open morning and to everyone for taking the time to provide such wonderful costumes.

Unit 3 Teaching Team